| Title |
Publisher |
Price |
The Essential Elements for Building a World
Roleplaying games and fantasy fiction are filled with rich and fascinating worlds: the Forgotten Realms, Glorantha, Narnia, R'lyeh, Middle-Earth, Barsoom, and so many more. It took startling leaps of imagination as well as careful thought and planning to create places like these: places that readers and players want to come back to again and again.
Now,... [click here for more] |
Kobold Press |
$14.99
|
Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” But the journey of imagination begins with a single idea—one that can shape entire worlds, if you so choose. And no one knows that better than bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White, who brings his expertise for world building to this reference guide for writers interested in crafting their own storytelling environments.... [click here for more] |
Starwarp Concepts |
$4.99
|
Your average book on mythology will tell about, say, Hades, and in the course of it mention that he was a death divinity. If you want to learn about death divinities in general, then you've still got a lot of work ahead of you.
This book approaches things from the opposite direction, which should be useful for worldbuilders. Rather than tell you about individual gods, this book explains... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$4.95
|
This first issue of Eclectic Projects features four original short stories, the launch of an ongoing serial, and one feature essay from Aurealis and Ditmar award-winning author Peter M. Ball Featuring a blend of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, this issue includes:
Two ex-lovers with a bloody, magical secret who reunite in On Meeting An Ex-Girlfriend For Drinks At The Bar Of The Hotel... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$3.99
|
Kobolds Work a Little Magic
The popular and wildly useful Kobold Guide series tackles the biggest subject in fantasy: Magic!
What makes a fantasy fantastic? Magic, of course! Whether it’s unearthly beasts, scheming sorcerers, legendary swords or locales that defy logic and physics, a compelling fantasy story needs magical elements. The tricky part is that in order for the story to work,... [click here for more] |
Kobold Press |
$14.99
|
“I'm not going to lie to you. There are no secret handshakes or rules that will get you on your particular dream-path. If there was, we'd all be on our own already. If you want to be a successful writer, be prepared to have to make up most of it as you go along.”
In these essays, Sean Williams—the best-selling author of over 120 short stories and fifty novels—shares his thoughts on... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
“Don’t write merely to shock. People are used to shock-horror. You need to get beneath the skin. Use a flensing knife and keep it sharp. It’s good to shock, but only as part of the story you tell.”
In these essays, Kaaron Warren—the Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer behind Slights, The Greif Hole, and Into Bones Like Oil—explores the craft... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
The Ultimate Resource for Gamers, Game Masters, and Designers
The first edition of the COMPLETE KOBOLD GUIDE TO GAME DESIGN laid out concepts, techniques and advice for designing roleplaying games and enhancing adventures. This second edition brings together essays from the original volume by Wolfgang Baur, Monte Cook, Keith Baker, Ed Greenwood, and others, many updated to reflect... [click here for more] |
Kobold Press |
$14.99
|
What does it take to become a Hugo and Stoker Award-nominated editor and publisher?
Follow Jason Sizemore’s unconventional professional path as it winds through a tiny, overheated Baptist church deep within the coal fields of Appalachia, Kentucky, past a busted printer and a self-serving boss that triggered an early mid-life crisis and the epiphany that he should open a magazine spreading the... [click here for more] |
Apex Book Company |
$2.99
|
Welcome to the Swords of Kos Fantasy Campaign Setting, a swords-and-sorcery milieu based on a Dark Ages fantasy version of the Mediterranean and the lands surrounding it! It is set a century after a Great Cataclysm destroyed the old world, plunged it into chaos, and reawakened magic and all form of ancient races and monsters. Now, the agents of Gods and Titans struggle against each other on... [click here for more] |
Skirmisher Publishing |
$34.95
|
“Well-conceived goals, when acted upon, can prevent you from getting distracted and wasting time on other less vital tasks. In short, they give you direction, and get you there faster.”
In this chapbook, Lee Murray—the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of the Taine McKenna series and editor of Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women—lays out a systematic approach to establishing... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
"Sure, writers have demons and inner critics that whisper horrible, discouraging things to us. But some of us give them undignified pet names and enrol them in short courses to get them off our hands..."
In these essays, Angela Slatter—the World Fantasy Award-winning author of the Sourdough Stories, the Verity Fassbinder Series, and more—explores the relationship between the writer, their work,... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
The third issue of Eclectic Projects features four original short stories and more from Aurealis and Ditmar award-winning author Peter M. Ball. Dive into this issue to find:
A glimpse into the secrets held by six cats who gather around a magical campfire in Six Cats Go Camping.
A dedicated cosplayer who finds new purpose when alien's invade in The Chap Who Wanted To Be Captain Flagg.
A mad scientist... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$3.99
|
“The path to happiness in writing is always in the process: the imagining and the writing.”
In these essays, Kim Wilkins—the celebrated author behind Daughters of the Storm, Giants of the Frost, and (as Kimberley Freeman) Wildflower Hill and Stars Across The Ocean—offers the collected writing wisdom she’s accumulated across... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
The second issue of Eclectic Projects features four original short stories and more from Aurealis and Ditmar award-winning author Peter M. Ball. The fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories in this issue include:
The realities of high density living prove difficult for the sensitive ears of a troll in The Bridge Troll’s Upstairs Neighbours.
A time travel agent’s night off turns violent... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$3.99
|
It can be all too easy to create a history for your world which feels lifeless and static, and carrying out the research necessary to address that can be a daunting task that seems increasingly impossible the longer you try to work at it.
Luckily, worldbuilding doesn't need to be real, it just needs to feel real, and that's where this book comes in. Charting History covers the... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Inside this 150-page tome you will learn how to:
Sculpt a continent
Design a nation
Plan a city or village
Create a Pantheon
And build your owm fantasy world!
Over its eighteen chapters, this book walks you through the steps needed to create a fantasy world for your roleplaying game, from the initial brainstorming to the niggling details. Included is advice on geology & climate, culture &... [click here for more] |
5 Minute Workday Publishing |
$4.00
|
It's easy to make aliens: take a person or a dog, slap some antennae on 'em, maybe some ooze and some spooky talons, and then put some random letters together in a nigh-unpronounceable combination.
As I said, it's easy to make aliens. What isn't easy is making them well.
Even when you're working hard to be creative, it can sometimes be hard to get out of the rut of familiarity, to go... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
The fourth issue of Eclectic Projects features four original short stories and more from Aurealis and Ditmar award-winning author Peter M. Ball. Dive into this issue to find:
Teenage friendships tested amid mecha racing on a frost-covered planet in The Last Season.
Lethal and disturbing magic girls defending humanity against an alien invasion in The Bridesmaids.
An unlikely... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$3.99
|
In these essays, Peter M. Ball-Aurealis award-winning author and founder of Brian Jar Press-explores the seemingly unintuitive lessons he's learned over twenty years of writing, educating other writers, and running writing conferences attended by hundreds of authors at every level of experience.
Drawn from some of his most popular blog posts, author presentations, and articles, You Don't Want... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$4.99
|
Aliens, Dystopias, & Monster Ecologies is a series of worldbuilding essays on alien psychologies and ethical systems, functional dystopias, recreating vampires and werewolves, original elemental systems, and figuring out just how many human-eating monsters your setting can support.
This content previously appeared on Seventh Sanctum, The Oak Wheel, Sanitarium... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$4.95
|
Becoming a Better Writer Through Roleplaying is a series of essays on using RPGs to improve your writing, how and why you should build a fandom, horror and the heroine's journey, writing fight scenes, and point of view (both the fourth person point of view, if such a thing even exists, and the second person point of view).
This content previously appeared on Seventh Sanctum, The... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
“The thing about an art — and one of the things I love about both Kung Fu and writing — is that you’re never finished. No matter how good you get, no matter how much you achieve, you can always get better.”
In these essays, Alan Baxter—the author of cult horror hits like The Roo, the Eli Carver series, and the Australian Shadows Award-winners Crow Shine and Served... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
Political Fantasies is a series that takes names for governments and plays around with them to see how far they can be pulled. In the tradition of Strange Nations, the results of each exploration can be dropped into your setting with little-to-no adaptation required.
This volume explores thalassocracy, or "rule by the sea." The first section discusses the common traits... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
A full-throated battle cry. The clash of swords.
The smells of smoke, mud and blood. Combat!
At the heart of every adventure lies conflict, whether it’s between a cursed knight and a half-elf prince at swordspoint, a troupe of adventurers facing down an ogre, or the armies of two great nations clashing for ultimate power.
Between these covers, 20 master game designers and storytellers get... [click here for more] |
Kobold Press |
$12.99
|
Humans Are Weird is chock full ideas for making humans stand out from other beings in your setting, letting you avoid both well-worn tropes like "Humans are average at everything" or "Humans are, um, adaptable, I guess?" and nonsensical traits like "Only humans come from a multi-biome world."
This book contains 21 scenarios, from a galaxy where humans are the only bipeds to a fantasy world... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
In this chapbook, Tansy Rayner Roberts—the Hugo-award winning podcaster and author of Musketeer Space, the Creature Court series, and more—explores the paths taken to reclaim and re-envision her writing career after becoming a mother.
Drawn from her popular blog, From Baby Brain to Writer Brain charts Robert’s journey and offers advice to any new parent trying to balance a writing... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
This concise first volume of Worldbuilding For Writers, Gamers and Other Creators provides straightforward guidance on how to model the astronomical elements of an Earth-like planet for your storyworld setting. Author and storyworld creator Matthew Wayne Selznick ("Brave Men Run -- A Novel of the Sovereign Era") explains the science and helps you through the (basic) math required to:
Select... [click here for more] |
MWS Media |
$2.99
|
FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND WORK FOR YOURSELF
★★★★★ "The Artist's Way for the 21st century!"
Whether you want to quit your 9-5 job to be self-employed or you want to streamline your career to be more efficient, IT'S A LIVING is for you!
According to this year's most comprehensive study, there are over 57 million freelancers in the U.S. alone and growing. The... [click here for more] |
Cristian S. Aluas |
$4.99
|
Political Fantasies is a series that takes names for governments and plays around with them to see how far they can be pulled. In the tradition of Strange Nations, the results of each exploration can be dropped into your setting with little-to-no adaptation required.
This volume explores necrocracy or "rule by the dead," with possibilities like restricting the... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
"Is Pugmire a joke? No. Because it can be so much more."
- Eddy Webb
Since the release of Pugmire, creator Eddy Webb has gotten a lot of questions. Is Pugmire a “funny” game? Can I play my favorite dog? What products inspired the game? How can I make my Pugmire game as authentic as possible?
Collecting a variety of internal documents, email exchanges, blog posts,... [click here for more] |
Onyx Path Publishing |
$3.99
|
Generally, designing a culture for a book or a game presents you with a choice: either you base it on real-world cultures and likely end up with something that could be described as "Fantasy Bedouin with some Navajo bits tacked on" or you run hog wild and run the risk of overlooking something that, however innocuous, turns out to be vitally important for that type of culture.
There's another way... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
"Writers of great horror don’t hold back when it comes to subject matter: nothing is off limits. Their stories go to places that make readers shudder, sweat, squirm.”
In these columns, Lisa L. Hannett – the award-winning author behind Bluegrass Symphony, Lament for the Afterlife, and Song For Dark Seasons — turns her attention to the topics of writing,... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
“Your career is unlikely to be a constant stream of hits, accolades, festival circuits — and that’s kind of good, because if you’re constantly on-the-road, it’s hard to write and create.”
In these essays, Angela Slatter — the celebrated author of the Sourdough stories, the Verity Fassbinder series, and (as A.G. Slatter) All The Murmuring Bones — tackles... [click here for more] |
Brain Jar Press |
$2.99
|
Generally, designing a culture for a book or a game presents you with a choice: either you base it on real-world cultures and likely end up with something that could be described as "Fantasy Bedouin with some Navajo bits tacked on" or you run hog wild and run the risk of overlooking something that, however innocuous, turns out to be vitally important for that type of culture.
There's another way... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Generally, designing a culture for a book or a game presents you with a choice: either you base it on real-world cultures and likely end up with something that could be described as "Fantasy Bedouin with some Navajo bits tacked on" or you run hog wild and run the risk of overlooking something that, however innocuous, turns out to be vitally important for that type of culture.
There's another way... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
It's easy to make aliens: take a person or a dog, slap some antennae on 'em, maybe some ooze and some spooky talons, and then put some random letters together in a nigh-unpronounceable combination.
As I said, it's easy to make aliens. What isn't easy is making them well.
Even when you're working hard to be creative, it can sometimes be hard to get out of the rut of familiarity, to go... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Pull up a chair and see how the world's top game designers roll.
You want your games to be many things: Creative. Innovative. Playable. Fun. If you're a designer, add "published" to that list. The Kobold Guide to Board Game Design gives you an insider's view on how to make a game that people will want to play again and again. Author Mike Selinker (Betrayal at House on the... [click here for more] |
Kobold Press |
$12.99
|
Ever wonder why you could quickly identify a character’s role in a story? How is it you can understand a character’s motivations from a few scant details? Can you leverage this same ability in your own stories?
Archetypal Roles shows you this and more by hitting all the high and low points in character traits to create the seeds of more than a million types of characters... [click here for more] |
Richard T. Balsley |
$5.99
|
There are many good resources out there for creating new languages, but they tend to focus more on how words change over time than on the meanings of place-names. This booklet is intended to fill the gap. It not only includes lists of historical place-names but discusses the patterns and logic behind these names.
Don't forget to buy the companion to this booklet, The Meaning of Names: Persons and... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Are you looking to mine a few ideas for the batfolk in your upcoming adventure, The Diamond Mines of Camazotz? Writing some Planet of the Apes fanfiction and wondering what kind of sports gorillas might play?
If so, then look no further! Whether you're working on uplifted animals, animal folk, or just plain talking animals, this book can be used for it all.
Primates and... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
One of the quickest ways to start building cultures for your setting is to take inspiration from actually-existing cultures. What do you do when you don't want to crib off the same culture cultures that everyone else has used a hundred times before?
Essential Ethnographies offers the convenience of building from preexisting cultures and the flexibility and novelty of working with cultures... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Whether you are designing a new campaign setting for a roleplaying game or looking to create a world for your fantasy fiction, the creation of a pantheon will be an important part of the process. Pantheon Building provides a short primer on the issues to consider while developing your pantheon. This booklet discusses Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the role of government in the development of... [click here for more] |
Bards and Sages |
$2.99
|
Polished over 20 years of use at the university level, this book combines Professor Collings's lucid instruction with practical exercises to introduce beginners to poetry, and to encourage more practiced poets to expand their horizons.
Twenty poetic exercises that will strengthen and hone your craft!
Note: This digital edition includes the PDF, ePub and Mobi (Kindle) version of the... [click here for more] |
Wildside Press |
$6.99
|
There are many good resources out there for creating new languages, but they tend to focus more on how words change over time than on the meanings of personal or group names.
This booklet is intended to fill the gap. It not only includes lists of historical names (personal, family, and ethnic) but discusses the patterns and logic behind these names.
Don't forget to buy the companion to this booklet,... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
One of the quickest ways to start building cultures for your setting is to take inspiration from actually-existing cultures. What do you do when you don't want to crib off the same culture cultures that everyone else has used a hundred times before?
Essential Ethnographies offers the convenience of building from preexisting cultures and the flexibility and novelty of working with cultures... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Political Fantasies is a series that takes names for governments and plays around with them to see how far they can be pulled. In the tradition of Strange Nations, the results of each exploration can be dropped into your setting with little-to-no adaptation required.
This volume explores corporatocracy, or "rule by corporations." The first chapter, Market Analysis,... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
One of the quickest ways to start building cultures for your setting is to take inspiration from actually-existing cultures. What do you do when you don't want to crib off the same culture cultures that everyone else has used a hundred times before?
Essential Ethnographies offers the convenience of building from preexisting cultures and the flexibility and novelty of working with cultures... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
Beginning with the structural features of design and play, this book explores video games as both compelling examples of story-telling and important cultural artifacts.
The author analyzes fundamentals like immersion, world building and player agency and their role in crafting narratives in the Mass Effect series, BioShock, The Last of Us, Fallout 4 and many more. The text-focused "visual... [click here for more] |
McFarland |
$17.99
|
Generally, designing a culture for a book or a game presents you with a choice: either you base it on real-world cultures and likely end up with something that could be described as "Fantasy Bedouin with some Navajo bits tacked on" or you run hog wild and run the risk of overlooking something that, however innocuous, turns out to be vitally important for that type of culture.
There's another way... [click here for more] |
WMB Saltworks |
$2.95
|
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